Resilient packer for stacked articles



May 24, 1960 R. c. WILSON RESILIENT PACKER FOR STACKED ARTICLES Filed Nov. 17, 1958 ill hlllllllll Mill! INVENTOR. RICHARD 0. WILSON ATTORNEY i RESILIENT PACKER FOR STACKED ARTICLES Richard C. Wilson, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Nov. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 774,567

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to the packaging of containers or articles and in particular is concerned with arranging articles or containers in stacked relation within a cylindrical housing or outer container.

One object of the invention is to provide a resilient packer or spacer element which permits articles or containers to be compactly and snugly stacked within an outer housing.

Another object is to provide a resilient packer or spacer which permits expansion or contraction due to tempera ture changes of articles or containers stacked within a housing.

Still another object is to provide a resilient packing element which may be compressed to expand radially of a housing and provide for maintaining articles therein.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows the figures.

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of one form of packer or spacer element of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in section of the packer or spacer element of Fig. 1 showing its general use in packaging stacked containers.

Referring to Fig. 1, the packer element is indicated generally at and takes the form of a hollow cylindrical outer sleeve 11 having an outwardly extending flange 12 thereon which is preferably of rigid material. The sleeve is provided with an inner cylindrical liner 13 which fixedly receives the sleeve 11 on its outer wall and is also formed of rigid material. The sleeve 11 is formed of a resilient or pliable material, such as rubber or rubber compound having a selected degree of elasticity, which will depend on the particular use for which the packer element is intended. The liner 13 extends upwardly to be in abutting relation with the flange 12 and as shown in Fig. 2 is preferably welded thereto to provide a unitary construction. The other end of the liner 13 terminates inwardly of the other end of the sleeve to provide a free lower resilient end portion 14 on the sleeve which permits the lower end of the sleeve to be compressed longitudinally and to provide for longitudinal movement of articles or containers with which the packer is used.

Fig. 2 shows one arrangement for which the packer element of Fig. 1 is adapted, but this is only exemplary of various specific uses for which the element is capable of being used. In Fig. 2 a housing or outer cylindrical container is indicated at 20 and provides in effect, a packthe housing 20 and will be arranged to contact the flange- 12 of the packer to exert a loading force thereon and effect the desired compression on the sleeve 11 to provide a compact or snug assembly of the containers 21 within the housing or outer container 20. In Fig. 2 the broken lines represent generally, the position that the packer will assume when suflicient loading force is applied, for example, by the cap 22 to longitudinally compress the free end portion 14 of the sleeve to its limit, which will be when the lower edges of the portion 14 of sleeve 11 and liner 13 coincide. The sleeve 11 as shown, will necessarily expand radially outwardly, as I shown by the broken lines until it is in ccntact with the inner wall of the housing 20, since the liner 13 will prevent, due to its rigidity, any inward expansion of the sleeve.

a portion secured to said liner and a portion extending beyond the other end of said liner providing a free end, said sleeve having a normal outer diameter'throughout its length which is less than the diameter of the container and providing a space with the container inner wall and said free end contacting a stacked article whereby axial force applied to the sleeve causes it to be deformed radially outward into said space.

2. A device for resiliently compacting stacked articles within a cylindrical container which comprises a rigid inner cylindrical liner within the container having an outer guide flange at one end permitting movement axially of the container, an outer cylindrical sleeve of resilient deformable material having a major portion mounted about said liner and extending from said flange, with a minor portion extending beyond the other end of said liner providing a free end, said sleeve having a normal outer diameter throughout its length which is substantially less than the diameter of the container and providing a space with the container inner wall and said free end of the sleeve contacting a stacked article whereby any expansive force applied axially by articles in the container to the sleeve causes deformation of the sleeve radially outward into said space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,690,946 Roehrl Oct. 5, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 309,026 Switzerland Aug. 15, 1955 

